We are the people of a free nation of blokes, sheilas and the
occasional wanker. We come from many lands (although a few too many of us come
from New Zealand), and although we live in the best country in the
world, we reserve the right to bitch and moan about it whenever we bloody
like. We are One Nation but divided into many States.

First, there's Victoria, named after a queen who didn't believe in
lesbians. Victoria is the realm of Mossimo turtlenecks, cafe latte, grand
final day, and big horse races. Its capital is Melbourne, whose chief
marketing pitch is that "it's liveable". At least that's what they think.
The rest of us think it is too bloody cold and wet.

Next, there's NSW, the realm of pastel shorts, macchiato with sugar,
thin books read quickly and millions of dancing queens. Its capital
Sydney has more queens than any other city in the world and is proud of it.
Its mascots are Bondi lifesavers that pull their Speedos up their
cracks to keep the left and right sides of their brains separate.

Down south we have Tasmania, a State based on the notion that the
family that bonks together stays together. In Tassie, everyone gets an extra
chromosome at conception. Maps of the State bring smiles to the
sternest faces. It holds the world record for a single mass shooting, which
the Yanks can't seem to beat no matter how often they try.

South Australia is the province of half-decent reds, a festival of
foreigners and bizarre axe murders. SA is the state of innovation. Where
else can you so effectively re-use country bank vaults and barrels as in
Snowtown, just out of Adelaide (also named after a queen). They had the
Grand Prix, but lost it when the views of Adelaide sent the Formula One
drivers to sleep at the wheel.

Western Australia is too far from anywhere to be relevant. Its main
claim to fame is that it doesn't have daylight saving because if it did,
all the men would get erections on the bus on the way to work. WA was
the last state to stop importing convicts and many of them still work
there in the government and business.

The Northern Territory is the red heart of our land. Outback plains,
sheep stations the size of Europe, kangaroos, Jackaroos, emus, Uluru, and
dusty kids with big smiles. It also has the highest beer consumption of
anywhere on the planet and its creek beds have the highest aluminium
content of anywhere too. Although the Territory is the centrepiece of our
national culture, few of us live there and the rest prefer to fly over
it on our way to Bali.

And there's Queensland. While any mention of God seems silly in a
document defining a nation of half-arsed sceptics, it is worth noting that
God probably made Queensland, as it's beautiful one day and perfect the
next. Why he filled it with dickheads remains a mystery. Most of which
are arrogant four-wheel-drive owners.

Oh yes and there's Canberra. The less said the better.

We, the citizens of Oz, are united by Highways, whose treacherous
twists and turns kill more of us each year than murderers. We are united in
our lust for international recognition, so desperate for praise we leap
in joy when a ragtag gaggle of corrupt IOC officials tells us Sydney is
better than Beijing. We are united by a democracy so flawed that a
political party albeit a redneck gun-toting one, can get a million votes
and still not win one seat in Federal Parliament. Not that we're
whingeing, we leave that to our Pommy immigrants.

We want to make "no worries mate" our national phrase, "she'll be right
mate" our national attitude and "Waltzing Matilda" our national anthem
(so what if it's about a sheep-stealing crim who commits suicide). We
love sport so much our newsreaders can read the death toll from a
sailing race and still tell us who's winning.

And we're the best in the world at all the sports that count, like
cricket, netball, rugby league and union, AFL, roo shooting, two-up and
horse racing. We also have the biggest rock, the tastiest pies, and the
worst dressed Olympians in the known universe. Only in Australia can a
pizza delivery get to your house faster than an ambulance. Only in
Australia do we have bank doors wide open, no security guards, or cameras but
chain the pens to the desk.

Stand proud Aussies - we shoot, we root, we vote. We are girt by sea
and pissed by lunchtime. Even though we might come across as racist,
closed-minded, sports-obsessed little people, at least we feel better for
it.

I am, you are, we are Australian!

P.S We also shoot and eat the two animals that are on our National Coat
of Arms!!!! No other country has this distinction!

Hey it is not Canberra - it is the ACT. As for the pollies the rest of you put them there and we wish you would take the pricks back!! Now, Canberra is just like any other place girt by sea - and is filled with the citizens of Oz you describe in great detail.
havareelgoodonetomorra - Eric